Tree moving apparatus



Dec. 7, 1 943., A. 1.. PEARSON 2,336,122

TREE MOVING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 6, 1942 :5 Sheets-Sheet J.

De c. 7, 1943.

A. 1.. PEARSON TREE MOVING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 6, 1942 9407 L. Rear/9 awe wa 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 W43 A. I... PEARSON 2,336

' TREE MOVING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 6, 1942 s Sheets-$heet 3 ENE 1 35 l-LUQWLTM v 0 j 2 J0 L. 7%0270 5016 T" 7 p J 3% Patented Dec. 7, 1943 assent UNETE STATES PATENT FFHIE TREE MOVING APPARATUS Acy L. Pearson, Memphis, Tenn.

Application February 6, 1942, Serial No. 429,837

14 Claims.

My invention relates to a tree moving device, and it is an object of the same to provide a skiddable device which can be used to move a tree from place to place, as in a transplanting operation, without necessarily employing a truck or trailer or other wheeled support, said skiddable device being provided with means for supporting an uprooted tree.

Another object of the device is to provide a skid with tree supporting means that can be moved bodily lengthwise of the skid so as to balance the weight and prevent endwise tipping or tilting of the skid with its load.

Another object is to provide simple and eifective means for locking the support in adjusted position on its track members.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means to hold the ball of a tree in place" while the tree is being moved.

Another object is to provide means whereby the tree support can readily be separated from or afiixed to the track members or skids by which it is carried.

Still another object is to provide a simple frame that can be separated from its tracks, either for application to a tree or for transporting the tree, and so can be made to'take up but little space.

Referring to the drawings, Which are made a;

part of this application, and in which similar reference characters indicatesimilar parts:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of my improved device, Fig. 2, a side elevation,

Fig. 3, an end elevation, looking from the right relation, irons II .being substantially narrower The U-beams II are'slotted for than parts Iii. the greater part of their length, as shown at I2, and the slots are widened at appropriately spaced points to provide apertures I3 through which square nuts I4 or other suitable enlargedheads ombolts I5 maybe passed to secure the upper'55 frame slidably on the tracks or skids. It will be understood that the parts Ii], II at each side of the device which form detachable runners constitute tracks along which the upper frame maybe adjusted, and that they serve also as skids or runners by means of which the entire device can be moved from place toplace, preferably by laying rollers beneath them, though the track members can also be slid along the ground, in which case'they might be bent upward at one end afterthe manner of sled runners.

The tree support which is slidably mounted on the tracks includes four L-shapecl, longitudinal lower members 16, the vertical flanges of each=pair ofmembers I6 being located at opposite sides of a track member so asto guide the frame along the tracks. The parts I6, I 6, are connected by U-beams Il, Ii and I8, and each pair is further secured to the other member of the pair by L b eams I 9, I9, through which pass the bolts I5. It will'be notedthat apertures I3 are so spaced that the nuts I lat each end of the frame can pass simultaneously through a pair of apertures in a track member, after which theframe can'be separated from the track only by'again bringing the parts to a position where thetwo nuts register-with two holes I3, I3;

Crossmembers fii; 26 in U-beams I! receive 7 the. journals 2| (Fig. 6) of rollers 22, of which there is on'eat each corner of the frame, these rollers running ontra'cks formed by the body portions of the U-beams I I', I I. I

Cross pieces 23; 23, each secured to-a pair of the L-beams I 6, serve to carry bolts 24, 24, re-" spectively, these bolts Ibeing threaded in bosses25 on said cross pieces and having headsZB (Fig. 7) at their lower ends, said heads'being' eachmade to bear strongly" against the under face of a track-member I I. by turning the bolt and so to clamp the frame against movement along the tracks.

At the rear end of the frame there is a pair of uprights 21; these uprights and their braces 28" standing in a U-beam ii and being secured theretoinany convenient manner. These parts may be made of'steel tubingor the like, braces 28' beingpreferably bent as shown to increase their bracingaction. A cross bar 29 aiso connects the uprights 2.1, 27,. and: each of them: is further strengthened by a brace at, secured atone end to one of the uprights and at'theother end to thefront U-beam ll. Alined short cylindrical guides. 3I'se'cured in superposed relation on'the uprightsrZl and braces 28 serve to carry a crossbarf32. by meansofiwhich'the ball of atre'e on the device may be supported at different heights,

according to the size of the ball.

At the front end of the frame, a hollow upright is supported, as by slipping a tubular uppair of openings in the tube 33, which apertures a are alined crosswise of the device so as to hold yoke 36 in proper position to receive a tree trunk.

The front upright is braced by side braces 38, 3B,

and a rearwardly extending brace 39 whose lower end is set in rear U-beam l1 and fixed thereto. Braces 38 stand in the rear U-beam I! and are fixed thereto, and similar braces 40 are shown as standing in the front U-beam I! and fixed to said U-beam and to'the inner sides of uprights 21,21.

In the use of my device for transplanting trees,

I may provide a large number of frames for use with a single pair of tracks. These frames may each be applied to a standing tree after removal of a sufficient quantity of earth about its roots to provide a proper tree ball. A ring consisting of a chain or band 42 is located under the roots of the tree and is fastened in place in the usual process of tying and wrap-ping of the tree: ball, as by means of cordage indicated at 43 (Fig. 4) and the tree, while still upright, has the frame or cradle secured thereto by means of bands or wires 44 that aresecured to the chain 42, then led through eyes 45 at an elevated position on the uprights 21, 2?, and thence forward, as in Fig, l, to a point at or in front of the front upright where they are wrapped about the trunk of the tree, and about the seat 36, so as to fix the cradle securely to thetree.

When theoperator is ready to move a tree so prepared he applies the skids by merely causing two bolt headsl l to pass through two spaced apertures i3, and sliding the skids a short distance so as to ,misaline the holes and .the bolt heads, then operating the screws 24 to clamp the parts, if desired. Thus the lower ends of" the skids provide a fulcrum close to the .ball. (or in the trench about the tree) and the skids may be.

used to provide ample leverage to uproot the tree, if desired. This is'convenient in the caseof shrubs, such as box-bushes. In the caseof trees itis' usually preferable to hitch directly to the trunk of the tree, and .thus uproot it.

After the tree is uprooted the longer roots may be removed and wrappingficompleted, asusual. Now the whole is in the position of Fig. 1 and the weight is probably too near the rear of the skids. Therefore, the cradle is moved forward along, the rails to equalize the weight. Usually this is done by inserting crowbars in the slots of the skids between the U-beam I] and the adjacent leg of the U-beam I3, the slots between these parts being provided for thatpurpose. When the cradle has been moved sufficiently far along the tracks the bolts 24 are operated to clamp it in place and the device with its load may be skidded out of a muddy or narrow place in the woods to a point where the tree can be transferred to a truck or trailer or flat car, etc., if desired. Now the clamps are released and the track members are unhooked from the cradle, leaving only the tree .on its relativelysmall cradle to be further transported and manipulated as may be required to bring it to its destination and to set the ball into the hole prepared for it.

The inner or track member may also be made up of two L-shaped members H, H, (Fig. 8) fixed to the bottom of a U-beam l0 and spaced to provide a slot [2. The top flanges of bars II, II are cut away to provide holes l3. It will be obvious that this is a cheaper construction than that first described, though somewhat less rigid.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the device of my invention may be changed in many ways, all without departing from the spiritof the invention and therefore I do not limit myself to what is described in the specification and shown in the drawings, but only as set forth in the appended claims. I believe myself to be thefirst to utilize a skiddable appliance in the transportation of trees in connection with the transplanting thereof. The parts which are united to form runners or skids for the entire device, and also to form tracks for the cradle, are individually detachable from the cradle, as is desirable on account of their heavy weight and also as a matter of convenience. The cradle may be-moved on the tracks as when the device carries a load, but the tracks can also be individually moved on the cradle, e. g., when the device is unloaded.

My device is useful not only in the removal of trees from their native habitat, but also in replanting them, e. g., in places not readily accessible by a wheeled vehicle. Thus a lot of trees or shrubs, each with a cradle attached thereto may be unloaded at the roadside and then,by the use of a single pair of runners, moved to proper balanced position; hauled across a soft lawn or along narrow, twisted paths, and un-' loaded'in proper position in holes previously prepared to receive them. It will be noted also that the arrangement of braces is such that handling and transportation, as above discussed, will not be likely to damage the apparatus.

Due to the spacing of a number of apertures.

along the tracks on the runners, a runner may be connected to the cradle at various points in its length, which is a matter of convenience for.

differentpositions of the cradle along .a tree trunk, or when underbrush or tree branches .interferewith convenient placing of a runner. When the runners are shaped similarly at .both ends this also permits a runner to-be attached to the cradle without the need 'of reversing its position, regardless of which end is up or down.

merging at intervalsiinto 'relativelywide 'aper 1 tures, and connectors; on said cradle having heads wider than said slots butishaped to pass through said apertures.

3. A device as in'claim" 2, wherein therunner includes a bottom channel -iron,-aninverted; channel ironsecured theretobetween the flanges of the said bottom channel iron, and wherein said slots are formed in the web of said inverted channel iron between its side flanges.

4. A device as in claim 2, wherein the runner includes a bottom channel iron with spaced apart inverted L-shaped members secured therein between its flanges, the upper webs of the said L-shaped members being correspondingly reduced in width at intervals to form relatively wide apertures.

5. A device as in claim 2, each runner having a plurality of spaced apertures, and there being at each side of the cradle a plurality of similarly spaced connectors.

6. Tree transporting means comprising a pair of runners each provided at the top with a track and a narrow slot in the track, said slot being widened at spaced intervals, a cradle for a tree trunk said cradle having a base adapted to move along said tracks, and connectors on said base spaced correspondingly to said intervals, said connectors having heads shaped to pass through the widened parts of said slots but being Wider than the remainder of said slots.

7. A device as in claim 6, including means for clamping the cradle in position on said tracks.

8. A skiddable device for transporting trees, said device comprising a cradle, spaced-apart runners on said cradle, laterally spaced posts at one end of said device, means on said posts for supporting the ball end of a tree, a support located forwardly of said laterally spaced posts for supporting the tree at a point remote from said ball, said support including a single vertically adjustable post on which the tree trunk rests, an annulus at the base of the tree ball, eyes at the upper end of the laterally spaced posts, and tieing means attached to the annulus at opposite sides of the ball, said tieing means passing through an adjacent eye and being secured to the tree trunk adjacent said single post.

9. A skiddable device for transporting trees, comprising a pair of runners, said runners each including a U-shaped bottom member, a pair of laterally spaced tracks located in the trough of each U-shaped member, a cradle shiftable freely along said tracks, clamping members carried by said cradle, and means for operating said clamping members to cause them to grip the tracks and so hold the cradle against movement relatively to said tracks.

10. A skiddable device for transporting trees, comprising a pair of runners, a cradle, means on said cradle for supporting a tree trunk at intervals in its length, each runner including a ground engaging portion and an upright flange, and a track member on each runner for supporting the cradle said track member being parallel to said flange and spaced therefrom to permit entry of a lever between them for moving the cradle along said track.

11. A device as in claim 10, including means for securing the cradle in adjusted relation to the runners.

12. Tree transplanting means comprising a rigid unitary cradle, spaced supports on the cradle for engaging a tree trunk at spaced intervals in its length, detachable skids for said cradle, tracks at the upper side of said skids, and rollers on the cradle in contact with said tracks.

13. Tree transplanting means comprising a rigid unitary cradle, spaced supports on the cradle for engaging a tree trunk at spaced intervals in its length, means for securing said cradle to the trunk of a standing tree, headed projections on the bottom of the cradle, and skids having undercut slots in their upper faces to receive the heads of said projections, whereby said skids can be quickly attached to a cradle on a tree.

14. Tree transporting means comprising a cradle, supports on said cradle and spaced lengthwise thereof for carrying a tree trunk, channelshaped ground-engaging runners of substantially greater length than said cradle, tracks secured within the runners and extending lengthwise of said runners and on which said cradle may be manually pushed along said runners, and means for fastening the cradle to the runners in desired adjusted position, said means coacting with the lower part of the cradle and with the tracks at points remote from the ground-engaging surfaces of the runners.

ACY L. PEARSON. 

